. >> evan, according to the congressional budget office, the deficit is shrinking and will continue for a while, but it will increase laterecause of an ang population and expansion of federal subsidies. cbo is predicting that by 2023, ifs continue -- if current laws continue, it will be on an upward path and tell that to your children and grandchildren. >> paul krugman has convinced a lot of my liberal friends that it is okay to kick this down the road. >> he actually used those words. >> terrible ide courts all kinds of disasters. sounded -- the interest rate spikes. it takes a long time to fix these problems. sequestration is a crude, ugly tool, but if it had the effect of making people get serious about entitlement reform, it would not be so bad. >> colby, what do you think? >> going back to charles' column, he says that it is the first time since the election the president obama has been on the defense. i don't think that is true. i agree with mark on this, that republicans will bear the brunt of this initially because they are seen as the obstructionists. looking at it in sheer pol